William Stokley
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William Strumberg Stokley was an American politician from Pennsylvania. He served as the 72nd
Mayor of Philadelphia The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Jim Kenney. History The first mayor of Philadelphia, ...
from 1872 to 1881.


Biography

Stokley was born on April 25, 1823, in Philadelphia. His father died when he was young, leaving him and his mother to care for his younger brother and sister.


Career

Stokley built a confectionery business and later entered the Franklin Hose Company, a volunteer fire company. As the treasurer and representative to the city's Fire Association, he became exposed to the politics of Philadelphia. In 1860, he won a seat on the Common Council, the lower house of the city council, representing the Ninth Ward. He became the president of the Common Council in 1865. In 1867, he won a seat on the Select Council and became its president in 1868. On the council, he sought to make reforms of the volunteer fire companies and the Gas Trust. Volunteer fire companies often were a source of violence in the city. Stokley introduced legislation that would eventually lead to a professional fire department in the city. He later worked to shift control of the
Philadelphia Gas Works Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) is the United States' largest municipally owned natural gas utility. Construction was completed by engineer Samuel V. Merrick on January 22, 1838, and operations continued from the 1800s to the present day. History ...
to a city department from the local “gas trust”. As the president of the Select Council, he became involved in the construction of a new
city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
. At the time, there was a considerable dispute as to whether the new building should be constructed at Penn Square, which was in Stokley’s ward or in Washington Square near Independence Hall, which was closer to the commercial center of Philadelphia. In addition, the construction of the building would generate significant government expenditures, which many local businessmen sought to share in. Through his control of the Public Buildings Commission, and the help of
Wilson Henszey Wilson may refer to: People *Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender *Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson Rodr ...
, an ally in the
Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...
, Stokley won approval for his proposed site. In 1871, he ran for Mayor and defeated James S. Biddle. The contracts for the construction of City Hall was over $24 million, more than double the original $10 million estimate. On one of the latest contracts, $5.3 million was handed out with no bidding for the marble used in construction. The construction company would purchase the marble from a quarry owned by allies of Stokley. The mayor reportedly acquired a new brownstone home, courtesy of the building contractors. Stokley went on to win two more terms, beating Alexander K. McClure in 1874 and Joseph L. Caven in 1877. In 1881, some Republicans, including
Rudolph Blankenburg Rudolph Blankenburg (February 16, 1843 – April 12, 1918) was an American businessman and manufacturer, who became a politician and elected mayor of Philadelphia, leading a reform administration from 1911 to 1916. Biography Blankenburg was bor ...
, who wanted to see a change from what they viewed as a corrupt administration, pushed the city's Committee of One Hundred to withdraw its endorsement of Stokley in favor of Democrat
Samuel G. King Samuel George King (May 2, 1816 – March 21, 1899) was an American politician who served as the 73rd mayor of Philadelphia from 1881 to 1884. He was a member of the Democratic Party and was the last Democrat elected as mayor of Philadelphia ...
. King defeated Stokley in that election. Stokley died on February 21, 1902, and was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.


See also

*
List of mayors of Philadelphia The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Jim Kenney. History The first mayor of Philadelphia, ...


References


External links


Philadelphia Mayors
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stokley, William Strumberg 1823 births 1902 deaths 19th-century American politicians Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Mayors of Philadelphia Pennsylvania Republicans